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People test

"If you do not pass the people test, nothing else matters.
Promotion without connectivity is destructive. I often share with church leaders that most of the churches in the United States should not promote themselves. Why? Simple. If your current membership is not actively inviting people or visitors are not staying, there are reasons why. If you do an advertising campaign, you are asking people to come in your doors only to realize why no one wants to invite anyone to your church. They never come back and leave to tell all their friends what they did not like about your church. This is not good marketing.
The heart of marketing is people. Don’t start with mailers. Start with people. Ask yourself, “What am I doing this week to learn how to reach people more effectively? It's time to evaluate. Are we creating an atmosphere that fosters growth or are we ministering unto ourselves?"
http://www.beyondrelevance.com/index.cfm/PageID/913/blog_year/2010/blog_month/2/index.html
This is an excerpt from a terrific blog I found about church marketing.  I found that this translates very well to business and leadership in general.  Simply substitute "business" for "church".  Now read it again.  It quickly makes you look at your business model.  Are you wasting money inviting people without making a connection?  Do you have something to offer (and continue to offer) when they do accept your invitation?
What are you doing this week to reach more people effectively?

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